Karmic Debt Paid in Full-waiting for change

I spent the afternoon trying to figure out how put the muscle on a whore. When I checked in last night a guy was hanging over the upstairs balcony. He bummed a cigarette. But he made me nervous so I slept with the curtain open so I could watch and kept the van locked up tight. Walked the dogs this morning. Getting ready to feed them, I went to the van and got Buster's meds. A black man working on carpet replacement walked by and Honey started to bark so I shut the curtain so she couldn't see him. About noon I went to the van and my Toshiba computer, my change cup, my ditty bag, and my pistol were gone! I went to the front office-no cameras-the clerk said he got robbed of $300.00 two days before. I confronted the dude from the balcony and he played all innocent and said "call the cops" I said I would do just that. Then they left in a rush. I did call the cops. Meanwhile I quizzed the clerk a little and he went through the registration slips. Having been a teacher once upon a time, upside down reading is a cinch. The room had been rented to a lady-a frequent flyer here at the Motel 6. Armed with name and address and Googling and a $1.95 payment to USASearch, I located the person of interest. I debated and debated. I had told the cop my suspicion. He said they would check pawnshops. I want my stuff back! As the day went on I had little frissons of remembrance of what was in the computer bag. Each one made me sadder and madder. I called the number. A man answered-an older voice than Lori W's 32 years of record. I asked for Lori. He was evasive. I broke the connection. I will call some more when I am well down the road.

In between times I had lunch at a pretty good restaurant across the street and got my oil changed. It seems to come due here on the way down or way back. They recognized the air filter. So I felt good about that. Small consolation. I am not sure who to be angry with-the thief, me, the motel, the terrible economy here, the call girl with a crappy customer, the crappy weather that prompted the stayover, or me for being a weenie about driving on, or me. I'm pretty sure I can restore the pictures I had on the computer. To say the day was ruined is an understatement.

I think I can make Gretna, NE tomorrow. I will stop for a meet and greet with Bob and Doris before soldiering on. It is still raining and will get worse here Friday night. I hope I am well beyond it by then. I will leave very early.

Taking a break-game called due to rain

There appears to be no way around it and my intended route goes right through the worst of it. Intense rain and flood warnings in Kansas City. Waiting a day puts the rain odds in the 50-40 percent category as opposed to the 90 percent category. They don't improve much beyond that through Monday. Having driven through a pretty intense storm yesterday, I think I will wait a day. The rain itself is navigable but so many of my fellow-travelers seem unaware of the laws of Physics and certainly place more faith in the Creator because they ARE driving blind at 70 miles per hour. I don't need that kind of excitement. I am a control freak when it comes to me-fortunately it is such a big job that I don't have time or energy to try to control anybody else.

Yesterday Buster saw three drops of rain on the windshield and sought Honey for solace. A cute pile of pups in the rear view mirror. She was fine with that until he started burrowing when the rain got worse. She gave a couple of yips and then tried climbing over the rearmost seat to snuggle up to the Buddha bust which I cleverly placed to look out the back window. (Hey, I have to put up with fish logos and magnetic warmonger ribbons) All this going on while the traffic was intense, the rain intense, and I was intent on looking ahead. They have not learned, nor have I had much cause to use the "If I have to stop the car to straighten you kids out, you will be very sorry," command.

Fortuitously, we got the exact same room we had on the way down. Honey seemed to recognize some sights and smells. I think that she gets we are going back to Wyoming. I know Buster does. He is the old hand.

The good part of the rain is it is feeding the brilliant green foliage. Kentucky looked liked a huge Chia Pet. Alabama plants kaleidescopic wild flowers on the medians and verges. Kentucky plants convicts to pick up trash. One discovered an adult magazine and was enjoying it-you can tell by the posture. I guess every job has some fringe benefits.

Motel 6 Marion, Illinois

I fell into "full road mode" yesterday and am breaking in this little bolthole Motel 6 I have used before. New management by the surname Patel. Last night was not the most restful. It was hot in the van and my legs were puffing and hurting. So I broke out my "camping chair," covered up and put the dog leashes around my wrist. Buster and I dozed and Honey was bright-eyed. If I had any doubt about her personal loyalty, it disappeared as some folks got too close. She was on the job impressively. Three thirty a.m. saw us on the road to Dothan, AL. We only made it an hour to the Alabama Welcome Center before I got sleepy again and by then it was much cooler. Van sleeping until 7:oo a.m. and we have been on the road until we stopped here. We stopped in Dothan for Arby's for the dogs, and at every Welcome Center to have a comfort stop and collect an official state map: Florida, Alabama, Tennesee, Kentucky and Illinois.

Lots of time to think and observe on such a long drive. I'll share later but my eyelids are at half-mast right now. I'm going to try for Omaha tomorrow.

Quincy or Midway? It is a Flying J

This is the Flying J that Garmin can't find. But I knew it was here and found it after fighting with the GPS for hundreds of miles. I was sad to say goodbye to my my sweet kids and my grandpup. They are so good to us. Honey even got her first bath from them. She looks beautiful. Even Buster is impressed: He keeps sniffing her and then tries to hump her. She gets giddy and runs around. Pretty funny.

It was hot in the tropics-the air conditioner, which is excellent, was barely keeping up as we took the Turnpike diagonally across the state- deciduous and pine forests became more frequent and palm trees scarce. It is sultry here in the van in northern Florida where we are going to snooze before heading to Dothan, Montgomery, and Birmingham, Alabama. I am going to move because the snoozer in the next van appears to be talking to himself and getting agitated with himself. Creepy headlines pop into my head. We dined rather well on the buffet- my waitress had to correct her register so I got charged for a double hamburger-the coke was free. I was complimentary about the fried chicken so the hostess gave me a discount. Made me feel pretty guilty about the piece of chicken in my pocket for the dogs. I tipped the waitress lavishly and filled out a rather lengthy and complete evaluation of the restaurant. I still have a karmic debt to discharge and the sooner the better.

On my way to cooler country. Even Florida has spring and the vegetation is popping and beautiful. How nice to be traveling in spring across the beautiful land.

Out of the Park, Still in Florida

Florida Frolics in the pool. David was kind enough to meet me on Sunday to put the RV to bed. He did not want to fire up the computer system to bill me and said he would send it. When I got to Deerfield I remembered I had not disconnected the battery nor connected the solar charger. The kids made it an easy choice inviting me to stay until Tuesday. So I have been resting and enjoying-we had a fabulous Sundayvmeal at the Baja Cafe-I had my farewell Spinach,/Chicken enchiladas, and we shared Refritos Diablo. Other than that relaxed visiting and playing with the dogs. Highly entertaining.

Tonight Jason is grilling hamburgers and making whale fries which seem to be disappearing as fast as they are made. Lori fixed a cherry cobbler. We are dining in tonight in fine style. The trip to LakeWorth to pay off the storage and fix the batteries went swimmingly.

Tomorrow we head north but I have no fixed itinerary yet. I need to look at a map but it is a day's trip to get out of Florida and I know how to do that.

Bushed but ready to roll...

By 10:00 am I knew I wasn't going to make it out by 11:00. Went to the front desk and they graciously let me break the rule. Then about 2:00 I went back and bought another day. I worked fast and furious but I am old and portly and things never go as smoothly as one envisions. The screen room rug was damp and filthy. I dragged it out on the hot pavement and shook and dragged it, dried it and shook it and dragged it. Finally folded it and stowed it. The walls of the tent house came down fine but the awning was reluctant to go all the way closed. I called Coastal RV and then tried some things-one of the struts is out of kilter but by tugging it and rolling it, it went up. I had to use a little Gorilla tape because the strut won't seat the crossbars. It is secure. Jason was OK about dogsitting one more night but I am not sure I am OK with it. I miss the little fuzzfaces I thought about running down to Deerfield for the evening but thought it kinder not to go because the whole point of them being there is to avoid a wait in a hot vehicle while the trade is being made.

Put the jacks up-had to help the right front with a broomstick. The rig fired right up and I stepped through the gears. About thirty minutes of labor here and and hour or so at the storage yard-re-seating the wheel covers, covering furniture keeping the sun out. etc. should do it.

The coach is in good shape for storage-pretty clean and things stowed. Martha Stewart would have a heart-a-faint but she don't live here. I ran out of gas-thought I was tired but I was tired and dehydrated.

I am recuperating and blogging on the netbook which I will do on the road. The keyboard is pretty small so the posts might be brief- my big fingers and a small keyboard makes for some colorful language that doesn't make it into the blog.

It must be time to go home. I got three calls from Wyoming. Mick Gamble and Dixie, Carl Stewart and Rich. Mick said he saw Bill Strannigan-says he looks good and young but is having cancer treatments. He is 76. Carl wanted to know if the hedge next to the church I sold him is his or or the neighbor's-she is giving him fits. I don't know.

Slip, Sliding Away

I bought another day in the park- Saturday will likely be the storage day. Every time I think I am gaining I fall back. I took the windshield covers off yesterday to send them to Sunpro as patterns for new ones. I discovered a whole lot of rust. The best fix is a body shop that would craft new pieces of metal. I Googled a bit and found a process that would fit my budget, both time and money. I was off to Pep Boys for rust converting primer, and a can of spray paint. Wire brushed the spots, painted on the primer which turned the rusty metal black but also produced some rusty stains (more of them.) Masking and painting was the final step and I have to say it looks much better. The coach is a dignified old girl and and a little makeup helped. I just hope it is effective too. I think it more than likely this is my last RV. Hold her together with 100 mile an hour tape if necessary. We'll fall apart together.

I took a lot of groceries to Lisa at the the front desk. She was gone for about a week and she told me "we had to move." She is caring for her granddaughter and her twice divorced daughter as well as other family. I think she was glad for grub. I cleaned out a little more than I needed to. Took some wine to the groundskeepers.

Miss Honey has had near perfect runs the past two evenings. She doesn't quite get it that some of her friends have moved on-she still looks for them. She met some toy Shnauzers tonight that were cute and friendly. I removed a wrap I had put on Buster's leg. A new product I found at PetSmart. It is a self adhering (no adhesive) Ace Bandage for pets and it really works well. I will get some more before leaving town. It seems to help him but I think his leg needs "time to breathe" too. He is a game little guy.

It probably sounds to readers that packing up is some huge chore. I watched some neighbors pretty much do it in two days. But they take their unit home. And I don't keep up like I should so it is time to pay the piper and close it all down. The kids have offered to help but it is all decision stuff-I have to do it. I am gradually getting to the point that things will live permanently in Florida or Wyoming and going back and forth will not be as big a chore. I am leaving some things this time. I have found places for most everything. An empty turned off refrigerator is a great place to store things. I think the bike will stay. I ride it in Oregon but it is lot of weight and and wind drag and wear and tear on it to haul it seven thousand miles for ten days in Oregon.

I've picked my spot for next season (ha,ha I never get the spot I want) but I think I may have a chance next time. It isn't on the map yet and has a great tree canopy that taller RV's can't get under. It is not as high traffic as this spot and will be better for the pups. I was over there with my measuring tape. There are a couple of others that are desirable too.

Well, big day tomorrow, better get some shut-eye.

Working at it

'Twas the caffeine deficiency. I am down to one morning cup of high test but it is a necessity, evidently. A big cup of McCafe eased the hopelessness and I invested in a small jar of instant to see me through. One refrigerator is cleaned and stored. Another one to go, Stuff is being stored-the tent room is getting empty. Mailed off my tattered windshield covers to get some new ones made. Extended my stay a day-it should be enough.

It is siesta time for the dogs so I am resting too.

Setback- Grumbling

After looking threatening all Monday morning, the skies opened up late yesterday afternoon and we got a good soaking. Now we need to wait for cushions, patio carpet, etc., to dry out. The vacuuming is negated-muddy paw prints everywhere, a bored Honey has been making little pieces out of big pieces as I slept, and she is cooped up and not being a good sport about it. Buster was terrified by the thunder and panted in my ear all night long. I have a little bit more sympathy for the weatherman here because the kids got zip-Jason repaired his bilge pump yesterday and enjoyed the sunshine. We met halfway in Delray for a meal at my favorite restaurant: Phyllis G's Enigma. This time we met the chef, his wife waited on us, and son-in-law Jaimie showed off his beloved motorycle. I was a stoopid and did not photograph the food-which is so good, so generous and beautifully presented in a funky little place that you can't get into on weekends in season.

An aftermarket electronic device Jaimie installed-now his Honda motorcycle clocks at 193.6 m.p.h. It is quiet but zippy as he demonstrated.

Still drizzling this morning as we came back from McDonald's. I am out of regular coffee and whether it is the decaf or depression I have the slows and thought a jolt of high test coffee would be salutary. I am ready to be on my way emotionally but not physically and the rain put a damper on progress. The Sun is shining now and will help dry things out- I will leave when I can.

Aid and Comfort to the Enemy

The first of 10 concrete posts go into the ground for the campground wi-fi system. Carpenters have been remodeling the bathhouse storage area to put in air conditioning for the FIBEROPTIC system. I was wondering about bandwidth capacity. I wonder no more. The Canucks can Skype to their hearts content. Maybe I will too. It will be free and not secure so I will still be using my aircard for banking and most other activities. I have enjoyed having my network all to myself-I have been able to view Youtube (Susan Boyle) and stream a little video.

Aid and Comfort to the Enemy: About 1 p.m. Friday I discovered a raccoon in the dumpster-it was hot and he must have been in there all day. They keep a tree limb for that very occurrence so I put it in and watched him slowly get out and then scoot for the swamp.

He will live to raid my refrigerator again. In fact I think he is up a palm tree in my yard as I write this. Honey was very agitated.

It is Saturday night as I am writing. I don't know how the blogging week got away from me other than I was pretty busy and tired when I wasn't. Keyboard imprints on the forehead tired. Wednesday after supper sometime the rain started to fall and I remember being on the bed with the music of the rain and.... awakening completely refreshed, wondering where I was, at 11:00 p.m. Very weird and disorienting. Benadryl and Aleve got me back to sleep for the next good stint.

Thursday was productive. The kids offered to keep the pups overnight so I could get some things done. I took them up on it and went to Deerfield for dinner-Jason made spaghetti and we had a salad. Friday without the consideration of the dogs I got some critical things done: met with the Palm Beach Sheriff Officer Navarro to get a VIN inspection on the Jeep. It has been nothing but a headache for Jason so I am assuming that headache right back. Then I was able to do the floors. I first had to fix the vacuum which somehow had a cord chewed in three pieces. It had been a month-Joyce was invited in the last time the floors were vacuumed. I don't mind the dog hair because I don't see it. But when the vacuum finds it I go "Holy Cow!" and am not too kindly disposed toward the critters for awhile. I am pitching stuff like crazy-nothing valuable, mind you. Friday evening I went to fetch the doggies, taking my salad dressing, wine, etc. to the kids- I missed the pooches-they missed me but were very good and Lori spoils them and plays with them. They had an Easter Egg hunt. Jason brushed Buster again and he looks great. Honey is warming up to them. They were good dogs and we enjoyed watching them play. Juneau is a stitch and such a good natured dog.

Lori had gotten good news-her stress test on her heart was good. This is an ordeal- 4 hours and one of her meds keeps her heart rate down so the treadmill test was abandoned and they gave her a chemical that is very hard to endure-imagine a heart attack. But the results were good so she was celebratory. When your idea of takeout includes Outback, it is indeed celebratory. We were visiting. Jason is letting his hair grow out a bit so we were discussing it.
Jason at the table-walking to the kitchen: "I want to look unemployed."
Me: "Well, I am a good role model for that."
Jason from the kitchen: "But I don't want to look homeless."

Lori and I split a gut. When she explained he was horrified. We didn't let him off the hook. Lori was so tickled it was worth it.
Packed up the dogs and my clean laundry and came home.

I gave myself permission to take Saturday morning off being a little ahead (illusion?). After a three hour nap I declared the day a total loss and just took the dogs for a walk and fooled around and caught the blog up. The weather these past few days has been ideal. Coolish and just breezes. Probably the best of the season for me.

Alive and Well

Alive and Well: just busy making progress and tending to fall asleep at the keyboard when I am not. I will post a real entry this weekend.

Revised Plan

Monday was pretty productive: I Olde Englished all the oak in the coach which is a lot. I had done it at the start of the season because the wood looked thirsty to me and it was thirsty this time too-I really soaked up a piece of shammy cloth and laid it on. I am debating about Pledging it before I store it. Last season I spent a lot of time on the exterior of the coach-this time it is the interior's turn. I washed and waxed the exterior during a rain storm earlier this year. Washed all my throw rugs. Got some other piddly details stuff done Monday too.

Lew and Greg dropped by to have a beverage and say goodbye. Lew was sticking around for Passover and got to see his father perform the Seder at Benvenuto for 72 people. Greg is anxious to get home. They are off Wednesday. I enjoyed the visit and we will get together next season-God Willing.

Today I was kind of puny- I had a hard time getting up and staying up and my stomach was upset. I watched the grounds crew dig a hole in my yard for one of ten poles that will comprise the WiFi Internet grid. Four Blacks and two Hispanics, the White guy called in sick. It looks to be over-engineered to me but what do I know? I only provided service to the top half of the park and 35 separate clients this year with my $200.00 router. I will be relieved to be off the hook in the future. The system was supposed to be in by December 30, 2008 so I provided services way beyond my expectation. Honey got her morning run before I had to cut and run for the house. I stayed close to the house all the rest of the day. Just not with it-spacy and queasy.

I got the bedroom done -it is going to have to store quite a bit of stuff so I needed it in good shape. My list is getting longer and since the weather turned to rain today, I decided March 19 was kind of arbitrary. I will go when I am ready. Delores has been emailing saying "stay, stay" when the blizzards roll through but she says it is OK to come home now. I'll get there when I get there. Pressure is off. I am enjoying the work and when it is done it will be done right.

A VERY Happy Easter

After seeing off Nicole and Andre for the second time this season-a warm friendship there, I packed up the bunny ears and other goodies and headed to Deerfield. Jason had been a busy boy. He had picked up Lori and Karla from their cruise in Miami, came home and cooked a turkey, a ham, creamed corn, green bean casserole, real cranberries, Yukon Gold mashed potatoes, dressing, etc. He served us, hosted his friend David who dropped by to escape the tumult at his house in his Ferrari. I found myself unceremoniously sniffing the seats of the Ferrari-genyoowine leather-oh my. Pictures at the web album.

The girls had a wonderful cruise. They hooked up with an older Cuban lady who they called mamma and who was so conversant with the Carribean that they avoided the tours and explored other ways by hired car and local guides. Their new friend enjoyed Karla and Lori who tend to be an electric combination. Toward the end she told them she had a Ph.D. but just wanted to enjoy life in the light lane so she didn't tell- didn't want to brag.

After we feasted we just sort of hung out with dogs and birds-a peaceable kingdom scene. The ladies had been on the water for 9 days so they elected to stay home while Jason took me on a great boat ride. When 400 horses of Evinrude are even partially opened up you go on a Nantucket Sleighride without a whale. We were skimming and hitting the bottom of swells with great whacks and lots of spray. It was a blast. We went on the open sea to Lighthouse Point for sunset pictures. Though the sea was calm we were still bobbing so I didn't hold out much hope for a decent picture but I got several.

We returned on the Intracoastal waterway idling past mansions and yachts when we weren't speeding along at 42 miles per hour. That is plenty fast in a boat, believe me. The house was dark when we returned. The party girls were dozing as were the birds and dogs. After a little visit, I packed up the dogs, lots of leftovers, and headed home. It was a fantastic day.

Click the picture to see the album:

Easter Sunday

Shrimp on the Barbie- Andre and Nicole Redux

Nicole and Andre invited me for a waterfront supper on this Good Friday. Oh my, the food was good, the mood festive and they are good company. Shish-ka bobs of two kinds in Nicole's marinades, rice, green salad, Parmesan bread, wine, apple salad ( new recipe: sliced apples, and raisins, with plain yogurt and lemon juice for dressing -quite tasty and healthful). I provided the dessert: Hoffman's fresh strawberries dipped in chocolate and Tia Maria liqueur for the coffee. I got lost riding my bike home in the dark.

Andre plays sommelier with dish towel. He is a pistol-likely to break into song or dance at any time.

Above a feast. Below our greeting to our departed companions. They will likely be surprised because they think Andre and Nicole are well on their way to Quebec by now. They did not like Port St Lucie so they came back and will leave Sunday for a park near St. Augustine-then a couple of days into Canada. I am glad they came back. We have a good time and below: they are enthusiastic participants in a bit of nonsense if it will result in a fun picture. Watch for dog pictures with bunny ears in a future blog entry.

Wild and Wooly South Florida

A very temperate day-enjoyable in its entirety. When I was walking Honey early today I thought I heard gunshots. Turned out I had. This event transpired about a mile from here as the crow flies: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2009/04/08/0408shooting.html?imw=Y

Click the link for the lurid story. I was on the street, by Los Gallitos yesterday afternoon.

I took advantage of the cool weather to get stuff done. Washed my throw rugs, buffed the RV with a "Shammy cloth" (as seen on TV being hawked by the guy (Shlomo) who just got arrested in Miami for beating up a hooker.) Walgreen's sells the shammys 3 for $5.00. I mention them because I was kind of impressed with it. Buffed up the RV pretty well. I am sorting cords-every gadget has its own unique cords. They turn into a nightmare tangle and the last thing I want is to be in Wyoming with the cord for something in Florida. Sorting and labeling and putting them in baggies so I can lose them all at once instead of individually is my goal. I was kind of unsettled with the closure of the RV store so I went to dollar days at Harbor Freight for bungie cords and awning stakes. I don't know what will or won't be here next fall. Boating World is going out of business, too.

They are starting to work on "Phase II" here in the park. I am trying to anticipate how things will look. I have a great site this year but the view will be behemoth RV's next year. This place is the cash cow of the Palm Beach Park system and they are milking her for all they can get. For me it is about the only game in town what with the kids fairly close by. They are also adjusting rates and length of stay in such a way as to encourage long stays. A fellow who seemed knowledgeable said the length of stay is going up to 7 months. This from 120 days (four months) last year. This will likely exclude a number of my friends in favor of semi-permanent residents who can come early and stay late. Time will tell. The game changes every year.

Ain't That a Peach?

No, it's a pineapple. A cool and relatively windless day in John Prince park. Very pleasant. Got some things done in the sorting, pitching, planning department. Took a trip to return electrical plugs and the RV store was closed. Uhoh. It is going around-these store closings. Harbor Freight was so booming I peeked at the checkout lines and decided to try again another day. Latours are home safe according to email. I have two Easter dinner invitations 2564 miles apart-Janet's and Jason's. I think I will opt for the Florida one. Judging from the picture below I should opt for skipping it altogether.

Andre and Nicole are back-they didn't like it at Port St. Lucie so they came back here and will go to Anastasia park near St. Augustine on Sunday. They have waterfront sites this time. Probably won't speak.

Big deal in the papers about the local Jews celebrating the creation of the Sun. It only occurs every 28 years that the day of the week and Biblical account of the Sun being created on the 4th day coincide. Bernie Madoff knew a group ripe for plucking, didn't he? Lori was going to help put together a showing of her cousin Karla's metal sculpture. Turns out most of them were crosses and hearts. Also turns out that many of the kid's friends are Jewish. Not a big market for crosses. Event cancelled for the awkward-making potential. "Want to buy a cross?" "Oy Vey!" I'm not picking on the Jews-explain the Easter Bunny to me one more time. But I will enjoy the get-together and good food.

Jason told me Sunday that Mango, the bird, and he have a love-hate relationship: Mango loves Jason and Jason hates Mango. But the bird is winning him over. It clings to his shirt and Jason shares his dinner. Mango also snuggles him and rides on Juneau. He disappears around cage time and sleeps on the mirror in the bedroom and got in bed with Jason and Juneau as soon as Jason's eyes opened. Sounds like this temporary placement is going to become permanent to me. Mango was a victim of the recession-his owners lost their home and he could not go-with. Say "Naughty Bush," Mango. The foreclosed pet problem down here is huge. I don't dare look at the animal shelter ads.

Bon Voyage

The overjoyed recipient of the fresh pineapple award above. A parting gift of the very nice and completely unexpected (what in the hell am I going to do with a whole pineapple category) type. I think it will go to Deerfield for Easter dinner.

Mme. is pointing her imaginary 44's at me-they are more like 36's or 38's. Marc did take my advice and get his soft RV tire fixed yesterday-bad valve stem, but did not take my advice to wait another day because of the stiff winds. This Wyoming boy has seen many of these rigs on their side in the ditch from wind. Hopefully they will make it home without mishap. I did end up enjoying them a great deal. Kind of a trial at times but I met the challenge and they were part of a good mix this season. Marc is some kind of saint. He did also take the advice that one of his leveling boards was infested with carpenter ants and should go in the trash instead of home to Georgia.

It did get cooler but the winds were fierce all day long. I had a good nap. Between potty breaks and pinched nerve, the nights have been getting shorter and shorter. So a nap is a good thing. I am getting tired of the sore back-Dr. Internet says the usual prescription is two weeks bed rest but normal life with "watchful waiting" yields about a 65% recovery rate also.

Brother Bob sent an email from home-sounding pretty chipper. That is good news. He left the hospital on the 4th.

I can only see about 10 RV's from my campsite. There are more along the lake-in fact that is still pretty densely populated. I am liking the peacefulness. The wind died down long enough for Honey to get a bike run this evening. She was full of it this morning but she is growing up and is clearly more affectionate toward me as well as Buster. Buster does have a cute little hiney. He butts it up close to my sore back at night and Honey butts her head up against it when they sleep in the living room. The forced togetherness as opposed to running free on the old homestead has integrated our blended family. They are good companions. They make me laugh.

Shakin' and Bakin'

Ninety degrees today and winds up to 43 m.ph. The air conditioning was barely keeping up with the heat. Surprisingly my awning survived and we did not sail into the Gulf of Mexico.

After a chat with the Latours this morning we came inside and I tried to take a nap twice but the wind kept me getting up to check things. That is pretty much it except for a cold front coming in that may make for record cold temperatures . Bring it on! I'll be under the cover.

Play Day at Deerfield

Lori is on a cruise with her cousin Karla so Mango is moving in on Jason. We had a great day. I admired the new Mercedes SUV-the lease on the Lexus is over and it appreciated so much it doesn't make sense to buy it so a deal was struck on a slightly used Mercedes that is gorgeous. It was doggie play date and laundry day too. Top it off with some ribeyes on the barbie, a constant parade of boats with plenty of eye candy aboard-serious bikini season down here now, just hanging out with der kid and great dogs, 97.5 on the FM pumping out great tunes, and it couldn't have been a better day.

Juneau and Honey are just like a couple of kids- can't look at each other without running, jumping, or wrestling.

Three in a row below- happy critters. The dogs had a great time and so did the humans. Jason went to the store for steaks and also got the dogs a big burger to share when we had our dinner. Great host and a great man.

Marring the day slightly, I got a call from the campground clerk that my rent was due as I was pulling in at Deerfield. I paid by credit card over the phone. I knew what day it was due-I just didn't know what day it was. I extended two weeks-that will put me out on the 19th though I can extend another two but I think I will be more than ready by then.

Now Let me See...

Which is better? The top picture from Casper, Wyoming this evening:

Or these pictures from Lake Osborne in John Prince Park taken this afternoon and evening.

I don't think I will rush to get home. I am grateful for every drop of moisture falling in Wyoming but I don't need to be there to supervise.

The day started with a bang. I was in the screenhouse enjoying my second cup of coffee (one regular, one decaf) and watching Mr. Latour clean the vents on the top of his 5th wheel trailer. I had earlier loaned him my carwash brush to scrub the bird poop off his awning. Mme. Latour started yelling for him to "Come here," urgently. He crouched to get under the power line and duckwalked the length of trailer. Then I saw the smoke billowing out of the door. Mme. yelled "Fire!' That got me off my ample haunches and into my coach where I immediately laid hands on my fire extinguisher and headed over at a stately trot. Two men and a pit bull arrived soon after. What appeared to be a large doily came sailing out the door aflame. I grabbed my hose and watered it down. It was the remains of Mme.'s hat-a squashable hat made of woven vinyl. Marc had evidently not turned the gas burner completely off and Mme put her hat on the stove. They really do deserve each other.

The stench was obnoxious. Fortunately they have a neighbor who has considerable experience with abating smoke. I took my negative ion air cleaner and a big can of Ozium to them. Mme began her litany with a new stanza or two added: "I was in a wheelchair three weeks before I came down here...awning sagged and dumped... bike tires went flat...transmission gave out...Turbo went bad, (twice) and now this happened to her "largest of the line Challenger 5th wheel trailer with 3 (count 'em) slideouts which they had never allowed anybody to smoke in." Br'er Rabbit, he say nuffin.

They may leave tomorrow. It will be pretty boring around here without them but I think I can deal with it.

Bon Voyage Rene et Terese

Terese gives Rene a haircut before they went to the Metropolitan Opera simulcast on Tuesday night. He hasn't paid for a haircut since they married.

Loaded up and ready to put the top down on their VW Westfalia camper-a five cylinder Audi engine powers it and gets 18 miles per gallon.. They have lived in it since December-and they had a gazebo tent. They managed very well, thrived and enjoyed it.

They are driving up the A-1-A which hugs the coast all the way to Jacksonville, FL. It will be a beautiful trip but will probably not exceed 50 m.p.h very many times. They said they told their kids they would be home for Easter but that is their only time constraint.

We have all had a great time this season. New friends and old friends. But I am looking forward to Wyoming and counting my blessings there too. Cool nights among them.

The campground is sparsely settled in my neck of the woods-very peaceful-Honey has no one to bark at so she is out guarding at 11:30 p.m. Keeping the coons away I suppose because she bolted very early today and chased something clear to the fence. Happily, she allowed me to catch her with no fuss. It is supposed to be cooling later this week. It was 88 today which keeps me under the air conditioning. We made a jaunt to Harbor Freight for silicone to oil the locks and a few other items. I did not deviate from my list. I have had a chance to eyeball a few items that I will order from Wyoming.

Bon Voyage Andre and Nicole, Andre and Nicole

No, there is not an echo in here; both sets of Andre and Nicoles left this morning. Warm goodbyes. The lady above with a warm hug and and "I love you." Nice people all of them.

Andre ("the other brother Andre") hyper Andre, waving goodbye below. After farewells, Jeanne Latour came for a visit- a l-o-n-g visit..about her favorite subject: Jeanne Latour. These compact campers are very cool for normal to smaller people. Great gas mileage but they are pricey-about $90,000.00 per copy. Their owners love them. Both Nicoles say they could travel full time.

I did get a few things done before Mr. Latour asked me to take him to the Ford garage. Their truck is still not right. The engine part is still under warranty so that is good but they are getting nervous about being able to go home. I am starting to get nervous about their being able to go home. Suddenly with the diaspora from the park I have waterfront view property. Six rows of campers make an effective barrier to seeing the lake. Now I have a straight shot. It is staying pretty toasty. That is going to drive me out before anything else. Talked to David. My spot awaits at the storage yard.

My favorite pocket camera is injured. Rats. I'll see about getting it fixed. My pocket is a dangerous place evidently. I love that thing. Meanwhile I grieve. I am getting edgy-little things seem to be going wrong. I think I will have to replace the coach batteries-not that I haven't gotten good value from them but they are pricey. I have nearly been locked out twice- I was oiling locks in the dark tonight-fortunately I know myself all too well and keep a spare set of keys in the van. The disadvantage of one button electric locks on all doors is becoming apparent when the locks stick.

Back is a little ouchy-think I will go get flat.