Laura Ingalls Wilder and Vesterheim

We have had an interesting three days!  On our way into Decorah, IA on Tuesday, we spotted a sign for
Pulpit Rock Campground.  It is a city Parks and Recreation campground right on the Upper Iowa River.  We registered, then drove ten miles up to Burr Oak to tour the Laura Ingalls Wilder Park and Museum.
The building was the Masters Hotel and they lived and worked there awhile after leaving Walnut Grove, MI.
Ma, Mary and Laura did the cooking for up to 25 people three times a day and the cleaning.  Pa took care of the animals and whatever else needed to be done.  There were many items from the time period 1876 and 1877 such as clothing, shaving supplies, cooking utensils, etc.   Laura was nine years old when they moved there and did not cover this time period in her books.
On Wednesday and today we drove into Decorah to visit the Vesterheim  Norwegian-American Museum.
Yesterday Travis gave us a guided tour of the outside buildings including small homes, parochial school, church and mill.  Today we toured the three stories and basement of the museum itself.  The Rosemaling (flower painting) on bowls, plates, storage chests and many other items was exquisite in detail as was the carving on furniture.  We thoroughly enjoyed our Norwegian experience!

Heading Out To The Badlands

OK, the title is a bit misleading.  We will get there eventually, but the joy of the trip is smelling the roses along the way.  We left home on June 3rd after attending two K-5 graduations and a 5th grade graduation of our great-granddaughters.  We visited family and friends in Georgia and North Carolina, then on to our daughter and son-in-law

in Mt. Zion, WV.  June 9th we left there and traveled through Ohio and spent two nights at Indian Lakes near Batesville, IN.  After traveling the curvey, hilly roads in WV, we needed to rest up a bit.

Next stop was Peoria, IL at Millpoint Park.  A nice perk was the receipt was also a 20% coupon  for Peoria Pizza Works.  A delicious Chicago-style, thin crust, 6 topping pizza satisfied our pizza craving.

We had made reservations at Wallashuck Recreation Area, a Corp of Engineers campground near Pella, IA.
What a delightful surprise - a nice clean site with electric and very nice bathhouse.  In addition, we were
serenaded by the cicadias.  They have a 17 year cycle and this is the year!   Our trip into Pella to the
Vermeer Windmill Museum was extraordinary.  Our guide, Virgil, is from one of the families that came to
Pella to settle, therefore, was a fount of information.  This windmill was built in Holland, dismantled and shipped to Pella and rebuilt.  We were shown how the "sails" can be turned so they can always be in the wind.  They grind wheat flour there and we later bought a loaf of bread (and other goodies) from the
Jaarsma Bakery. 

Our next COE campground was at Saylorville Lake north of Des Moines.  Another lovely spot in which to relax.  The only drawback to COE's is no wifi.   I don't miss it too much except I can't post my blog.

Yesterday we stopped at Cedar Valley Arboretum near Waterloo, IA and then at the Little Brown Church in the Vale in Nashua.  Last night we stayed at R Campground in Charles City, IA.  There was a very bad rain & thunderstorm with high winds - rocked our RV a few times.  I kept waiting for the tornado siren to sound, but thankfully it didn't.  Today we're off to Decorah to do some more sightseeing.  We are definitely smelling the roses!

Home Sweet Home

After a day of relaxing at Okatoma RV Resort,  we headed southeast through Hattiesburg, MS, across Alabama and into Florida.  We stayed at Bass Haven RV Park (another Passport America campground) in DeFuniak Springs.  We weren't sure if the GPS was giving the correct arrival time for Thursday's travel as we would be crossing from Central Time to Eastern Time, so we were up at 6:00 to make sure we were on time for lunch with my sister Faith, and husband Len.  It had taken the time change into consideration and we were there in plenty of time.  It was so good to be able to spend time with them.

Our next stop was at Newberry, FL to visit with friends Nate and Mary.  We've been friends for over 30 years and enjoy remembering times together and sharing what the Lord has been doing in our lives.

We pulled into our yard at 6:30 and began unloading the essentials.  Today we unloaded everything else so we can give the RV a thorough cleaning before putting some things back in.  We're now looking forward to the Escapees Chapter 57 rally at Harbor Lakes Resort in November.

We hope to take a trip to North and South Dakota next year as we haven't been there yet.  So, until our next trip, God's blessings to all our friends and family.

From Duck Commander to Real Ducks

Sunset Arkansas River North Little Rock, AR

We left Cloud 9 Ranch Saturday morning with mixed feelings.  We hate to leave, but also excited to be on the road.  We stopped at Hardy, AR on the way south to browse the shops and have lunch at Bojangles.  It was then on to Downtown Riverside RV Park in North Little Rock, AR.  The park is right on the Arkansas River.  An old railroad bridge was transformed to a walking/biking bridge that takes you to Clinton Presidential Library and Park.  Gene walked over to the park and took this beautiful sunset picture.
The next morning I walked part of the bridge with him.  There were a lot of bicyclists, a few joggers and a couple of kayaks in the river.  A very enjoyable stroll.                                             

Gene in front of Duck Commander Store W. Monroe,  LA

Duck Dynasty Truck W. Monroe, LA

 On Sunday, we traveled to West Monroe, LA.  That is once we got out of North Little Rock.  For some reason, I had difficulty reconciling what the GPS was saying with the signs I was reading.  We backtracked and circled around a few times before we got headed in the right direction.  It was most frustrating.  I can't imagine trying it with just a map!  When we checked into Pavilion RV Park Sunday afternoon, we discovered it was only a few miles to Duck Commander.  Shirley had printed out directions as there have been a lot of requests for the information.  I have only seen a few episodes of Duck Dynasty on A & E - some of which were hilarious - and know they always end the show  with the family gathered around the table giving thanks to the Lord for the food He has provided.  Well, since we were that close, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to visit.  Monday morning we headed over there, took pictures, browsed the store and bought two postcards and a duck call. 

Glenna with cutout Duck Dynasty family

Gene feeding boiled peanuts shells to ducks at Okatoma Resort

We were on our way again headed southeast, over the Mississippi River and down to Donna's #6 Produce just south of Jackson, MS in Florence.  We have stopped there before so Gene can buy boiled peaunts.  They also have the most delicious homemade ice cream!  I love the cookies and cream.  On our way again to another of our favorite places - Okatoma RV Resort just north of Hattiesburg, MS.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

After Gene had us set up, he sat outside to enjoy his peanuts.  It wasn't long before the ducks began to gather.  They came from every corner of the park - waddling, flying, running, scrambling to get the shells Gene was throwing to them.  I had a great time watching them and taking pictures.  Later I took a long, refreshing swim in the pool  and Gene was able to watch the Men's Finals of the U.S. Open.                    Tomorrow we'll be on our way again into Florida and then visit with my sister and brother-in-law on Thursday.   We're definitely enjoying a day of rest in this beautiful place.

So, until my next post - and probably last one for this trip - God's blessings to all our friends and family.

                       

Cloud 9 Visit Almost Over

Cloud 9 Chapel 

Pond at Melody Lane Campground

Our little home

Our time here at Cloud 9 is almost over.  I'm
really going to miss being here.  Sunday we walked down to the Chapel for a concert by Marty and Patty Elmore.  They sang a wide variety of songs, some of which they had written themselves.  It was a wonderful time of worship.

One of the advantages of being in the Melody Lane Campground is that we are close to the clubhouse and chapel and I can walk to either one.  It's about 1/2 mile, so I get my exercise.  Gene has been able to watch the U.S. Open Tennis 2013 and I have put together a couple puzzles.  It's also quieter during the weekends, especially holiday weekends.  All the campgrounds here were almost full to capacity, but now there are very few folks left. 

We went to the Flea Market on Saturday and Gene spoke with a fellow knowledgeable about arrowheads.  It is a Jefferson City Cherts - Adenda or Etly.  We haven't researched it on the internet yet, but at least we know what it is. 

I have enjoyed watching the fireflies in the evening, seeing an occasional hummingbird and even saw a groundhog while we were at Wilder Springs.  At first I thought it was a muskrat, but a neighbor told Gene it was a groundhog.  The next time I saw him, I recognized the family resemblance to Punxsutawney Phil (the groundhog in the movie "Groundhog Day"), so I named him Cloud 9 Charlie (or Claudette).  We have seen a few deer and, of course, the ever present squirrel.  It is a delight to sit under our awning, crochet or read and listen to the birds. 

Tomorrow will be laundry day and get ready to leave on Saturday.  We'll mosey on home via North Little Rock, AR and West Monroe, LA - maybe we'll see some of the Duck Dynasty folks.

So, until my next post, God's blessings to all our friends and family.

Gene Found An Arrowhead!

Gene's arrow/spear head

View from "backyard" of  RV at Wilder Springs

Gene is so excited!  He's been looking for an arrowhead for years on his walks around the ranch.  Monday,
August 26th we went for a walk to Leo's Crossing.  As we walked down the trail through the meadow, he looked down and there it was.  Just a few minutes before he had said, "Lord, as many years as I've been walking these trails, you'd think I would have found an arrowhead."   He took a picture of it on his cell phone and sent it to family.  Today he took some pictures with his camera, so now I can show everyone his great find.

We moved from Lonesome Pines campground down to Wilder Springs Thursday afternoon.  I can sit outside and see and hear the water gurgling along in Spring Creek while I crochet or read.  I love it!

Gene at Leo's Crossing

Gene wanted to show me how much the water had gone down at Leo's Crossing.  When we were here in
December 2006, we took a bike ride/hike from Hill Country Campground down to a meadow and across Leo's Crossing.  At that time, the water was much deeper and colder.  Gene walked his bike across and said
he'd come back for me.  I, being sure it couldn't be that difficult, started across.  Not a smart move.  I lost my balance and sat, then fell back into the water.  He rushed across and rescued me, now soaking wet.  As it was really cold (40's) I had on several layers of clothing, so peeled off the first couple layers and started the walk back to Wilder Springs Campground.  It seemed to last forever.  We sat down at the first table and took off our shoes and socks and wrung the water out.  Then the hike from Wilder back up the hill, pushing my bike, to Hill Country.  Gene rode on ahead and asked Sally, the camp host, to come pick me up in her enclosed golf cart.  It looked like a chariot from heaven.  Back in the RV, it took several hours before I got the chill out of my bones.  So, in memory of that delightful experience, we made the much shorter hike to see how the course of the stream had changed and water was much, much shallower.  I did not try to cross it even in it's calm state.

I bought some more yarn at the Craft House at Wilder Springs, and spent a couple afternoons with the ladies there working on various projects.  It was reminiscent of old sewing bees - good fellowship and creating something at the same time.

Wednesday we moved up to Melody Lane.  It's the quietest campground during the holiday weekends.  They'll be lots of fun activities all through the weekend - flea market, duck race, ATV "marble" run, etc.  It's fun to watch the "parade" of ATVers going by - all types of vehicles.  It sort of reminds me of driving up and down the main street of town on Saturday night when we were teenagers.

Gene and I walked to the clubhouse yesterday and played mini golf and I put a puzzle together while he watched TV.  Today was computer day for me.  I might try to work in a swim at the pool later.  Ah, such tough decisions.  Love this relaxing life!

Until next time, God's blessings to all our family and friends.

A Quiet Week

It's been a nice, quiet week - almost.  We moved from Foggy Hollow campground to Lonesome Pines campground on Friday.  I did my laundry before we settled in site #124.  It's shaded, near the bathhouse and I have a wifi connection - all very important requirements. 

That evening we went to a potluck dinner in the Patio Room and met Art and Faye.  They are also in Lonesome Pines.  The dinner was delicious with a good variety of dishes. 

On the trip here, we had a little problem with the RV engine overheating.  Gene added antifreeze and water to the reservoir and the radiator (after it cooled down) and the temperature stayed in the normal range the rest of the way here - about 100 miles.   There was water dripping from the engine area, not the radiator, after we parked it.  When we moved to Lonesome Pines, there was water dripping again.  I asked Faye if we could ride with them to the Chapel for the service Sunday morning, which she gladly agreed to. 

Monday Gene called the Chevy dealer and made an appointment for Tuesday morning 9:00.  It takes about a half hour to get to town, so we were up and out of here by 8:15.  It turned out to be the water pump.  I'm so thankful it wasn't something major.  While there we met a delightful lady "over 80" who regaled us with stories of her family, friends and childhood.  Lou Ella could be the next Laura Ingalls Wilder! 

We made a day of it - ate lunch at Skillet Cafe, filled my prescription, bought groceries at Wal Mart, made a stop at Dollar General and finally back to Cloud 9 at 3:00.  After supper, Gene rode his bicycle up to the clubhouse to watch TV.  He cut across one of the RV concrete pads and his tire went off and back on (almost) the pad causing the bike and him to tip over.  I didn't know about this until he came home later and requested an ace bandage and some Ibuprofen.  Again, I'm very thankful nothing was broken, just sprained.

We have enjoyed walks around the campground, reading, playing Scrabble, and last night got together with Art and Faye to play Mexican Train ( a domino game).  I'm making great progress on an afghan I'm crocheting using yarn from other projects and some yarn Jen gave me.  Yesterday Faye & I rode down to the Craft House at Wilder Springs to browse.  They have some yellow, blue and green yarn that I think  I'll get today to make the afghan more colorful and larger.  That should keep me busy for a while.  We'll be moving down to Wilder Springs  campground later this afternoon.  I'm looking forward to another peaceful week.

Until the next post - God's blessings to all our family and friends.